New Car: 2009 Vauxhall/Opel Insignia sedan

The Vauxhall/Opel Insignia will make its world debut at the London motorshow. The Insignia replaces the important Vectra in the European line-up. The Insignia is designed for Europe with the UK being the most important market.

In order to rival the Honda Accord, Ford Mondeo, Volkswagen Passat and Renault Laguna, the interior materials have been greatly improved over its predecessor to offer a more upmarket, executive feel to the overall vehicle.

In the pipeline is a hatchback which will be released after the sedan, followed by a station wagon and VXR variant in 2009. It is possible, in 2010 a coupe variant could also be on the drawing board, which could revive the name Calibra.

Via AutoBild > Opel Insignia along with the Opel Rekord

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Teaser: 2009 Vauxhall/Opel Insignia

Nissan Teana production starts (CN)

Today at the Xianfang manufacturing plant of Dongfeng Motor, Nissan's Chinese partner, the first 2009 Nissan Teana rolled of the production line. The new Teana is based on Nissan's new D-Platform and sees China as its main market, since Chinese customers took half of global sales of the first generation.

The second generation of the Teana has been designed with Chinese needs held in high regard, resulting in a quiet, comfortable and relaxed ambiance for both the driver and the passengers.

The new Teana is powered by Nissan's 2.5 litre V6 and 3.5 litre V6 engines, that is mated to a Xtronic CVT transmission with Adaptive Shift Control (ASC). The entry level model uses a 2.0 litre 4-cylinder engine.

The Nissan Teana will go on sale in China later this month priced between RMB 190,800 and RMB 332,800. Nissan hopes to sell more than 8,000 units a month and in the long run twice as many as the first generation Teana which reached a total of 166,000 sales.